Keeping With Tradition
by hollonsy
Summary: The Doctor takes Rose on their second first date.


Rose was upset. It was understandable, really. Being possessed by a flap of skin with eyes wasn't exactly her idea of a good time. She had been scared, a prisoner in her own mind, while her body walked and talked under someone else's control. She felt dirty after having Cassandra in her, like she needed to take a luffa to her insides. But since that wasn't an option, she had to settle to taking a luffa to her outsides.

As soon as they had dropped Chip/Cassandra off with the original Cassandra, Rose breezed past the Doctor and headed straight for the shower. He didn't blame her. The Doctor had had Cassandra in his head, too, and it was a strange and wholly unenjoyable experience. He'd been possessed before a time or two, so it wasn't uncharted territory to him as it was to Rose.

_Rose..._

The Doctor felt awful about the entire ordeal. Here he was, trying to prove to her that he was the same Doctor who could sweep her off to amazing, faraway places and show her things only her wildest dreams could imagine, when instead he gets her possessed and nearly killed. Again. He guessed he kind of hit his mark, if only in a macabre sort of way.

Rose stayed in the shower much longer than necessary, trying to wash every last trace of apple grass and hospital disinfectant out of her hair. It was good to be in control of her body again. She flexed her muscles, rising up onto her toes and lowering herself down again, just because she could. She slumped against the wall and turned her face up to the spray, enjoying the way it beat down on her. But when the water started to get chilly, Rose took it as a sign to get out. (The TARDIS could provide hot water for hours, but tended to cut off the supply when she thought there was something better waiting outside the porcelain walls.)

Rose drew her favourite dressing gown about her and smiled. It was the first time she'd had the luxury of showering aboard the TARDIS since the Doctor's regeneration. Some things had gone wrong with their ship during the crash landing at Christmas, and they had been stuck staying at the flat with her mum for nearly a week. Rose hadn't minded that much, though. It served as a nice testing period for her to get to know the Doctor all over again. But now, she was just happy to be finally back in the place she called home.

A knock on the door startled Rose. She was only halfway through getting dressed and grabbed the nearest item - an oversized sweater - to cover herself with. She was vaguely aware that the sweater only barely covered her knickers and she did her best to keep her lower half angled behind the door as she opened it.

"Doctor?"

He stood outside her door with his hands in his pockets, gazing off down the corridor. When she spoke, his eyes snapped to her and made a path down and back up her body that was almost, but not quite, quick enough to go unnoticed.

"Hello!" He beamed brightly and cocked his head to the side. "Is this a bad time? Looks like a bad time. I can come back when it's a better time. No problem at all!"

A smile quirked up the corners of Rose's mouth. "'S okay. What do you need?"

The Doctor rocked on his heels like an excited little boy. "Just wanted to see if you were ready, is all. And now I see that you aren't, so I'll go and let you continue. And then when you are ready, you'll come meet me in the console room, yes?"

"Ready for what?" Rose leaned against the doorframe, unintentionally letting more of her bare legs come into view. The Doctor's gaze flickered downward for half a second before returning to rest on her face.

"You'll see, Rose Tyler! Just get dressed!" With that, he turned and swaggered off in the direction of the console room.

When Rose found the Doctor sometime later, he was perched on the jumpseat with his feet propped up on the console. She came around to face him and he smiled, hopping up to take her hand.

"Where to, then?" she asked.

"Already there, Rose! Come on!"

The Doctor tugged her out of the TARDIS and pushed the doors shut behind them while Rose took in their surroundings. They appeared to be on a busy street in a city somewhere. The people milling about looked relatively normal, except some had ears that came to a point and others had noses that slightly resembled dog noses. The sun, which looked slightly more green than the Earth's sun, hung high above, bathing the city in light. The air was warm and smelled like flowers and the distinctly greasy scent of food being cooked. Wherever they were, Rose liked it.

They began to walk, hands clasped between them and swinging lazily, as Rose asked the Doctor about this planet they were on.

"Halgeran Three. Very Earth-like, though slightly less advanced than your time." The Doctor squeezed her hand and led her down a narrow road. Vendors lined the streets, selling everything from vegetables to knick-knacks. "Very friendly people, the Halgerans. And fantastic cooks."

Rose lifted her eyebrows as they came to a stop in front of a tiny diner. The sign over the door proclaimed it to be "Phef's". The Doctor led her in and directed her to a red vinyl booth before crossing over to the counter to talk to the man behind it.

While the Doctor was off, Rose rested her chin in her palm and gazed out the window at the little slice of Halgeran Three just outside. This was nice, she thought. A sunny planet that felt almost, but not exactly, like home was just what she needed to get her mind off New New Earth. If she never went there again it would be too soon. But this... Rose liked this place already. It was warm and the people seemed nice, if the Doctor's word was anything to go by.

Plus, Phef's smelled amazing. Rose's stomach growled and she wondered how long it had been since she ate. It felt like days.

The Doctor returned and slid into the booth across from her. He carried two glasses of something that looked like Coke (it could have been Halgeran Three's version of tea, for all Rose knew) and a red basket. When he set the basket in the middle of the table, Rose saw the most golden, crispy -

"Chips?"

The Doctor grinned at her. "Chips!" He doused them in salt and a little vinegar, just like Rose liked them, and handed her a plastic fork.

"What's the occasion?" she asked, spearing one of the chips and examining it closely - just in case - before taking a bite.

"Why, Rose Tyler! It's our first date!"

Mouth full, Rose cocked her head to the side and drew her eyebrows together. The Doctor waved his fork in front of himself.

"New new Doctor, remember? This me hasn't taken you on a proper first date yet and I thought, hey! Why not keep up the tradition!" He shoved a few chips into his mouth and smiled happily. "Fantastic. Brilliant."

Rose found herself smiling back at him, laughing a little. This was what it was like, being with the Doctor. You ran for your life and would probably nearly die on several occasions, but the days always ended with a laugh.

"Brilliant," she agreed.


End file.
